Professional Graphic Design & Print File Preparation
Not every printing project starts with a professionally prepared file. You may have an idea, an existing design, a logo, photographs, text, or artwork created in another software program. Discount Printing Service can help turn those materials into professional, high-quality, print-ready artwork prepared for your printing project.
With more than 30 years of experience in graphic design, marketing, advertising, and printing, we understand that effective printed materials need to do more than look good. They need to communicate your message, represent your business professionally, and help you reach your customers. We provide personalized support for small businesses and mom-and-pop shops that need professional marketing materials without maintaining an in-house design department.
Whether you need a new design created from your ideas or help preparing artwork you already have, we can work with you to develop a design and prepare the finished file for commercial printing.
We can print your existing artwork or help you create a professional, press-ready design from your ideas.
Personalized Graphic Design for Your Business
Good graphic design starts with understanding what you want to accomplish. We can help develop artwork for business cards, brochures, flyers, postcards, newsletters, letterhead, forms, envelopes, announcements, invitations, and other printed materials. Your existing logo, colors, photographs, text, branding, and ideas can all be incorporated into your design.
Our experience in marketing and advertising helps us look beyond the appearance of a design. We consider how the layout, images, and message work together to present your business clearly and professionally. A well-designed postcard, flyer, brochure, business card, or other printed piece can help a small business attract new customers and maintain a consistent professional image.
Depending on your project, we can help from initial planning through copywriting, graphic design, layout, print file preparation, and final production.
Copywriting & Content Development
The words on your printed materials are just as important as the design. Copywriting and content development are available for an additional fee as part of our graphic design services. If you have existing copy that needs improvement, we can refine it for clearer communication. If you are starting with an idea but do not have the right words, we can help develop content for your project.
We can help with headlines, marketing messages, product or service descriptions, calls to action, and other written content. We pay attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, readability, tone, and the needs of your intended audience so the written message and visual design work together.
Professional Graphic Design Software & Tools
We use professional design and production software, including applications available through Adobe Creative Cloud. Our capabilities include:
- Adobe InDesign — Page-layout software for brochures, newsletters, catalogs, and other multi-page printed materials.
- Adobe Photoshop — Image-editing software for photographs and raster-based graphics.
- Adobe Illustrator — Vector-graphics software for logos, illustrations, charts, and scalable artwork.
- Adobe Acrobat — Tools for reviewing, preparing, and checking PDF documents.
- Adobe Express — An accessible design application for creating graphics, business promotions, and other marketing materials.
- Other professional design and production tools as appropriate for the project.
We also have access to licensed Adobe Fonts, offering a broad selection of professionally designed typefaces. Professional design software helps us create correctly sized documents, manage typography and layouts, prepare images and graphics, work with color, and produce files suitable for commercial printing.
We Can Work With Artwork Created in Other Software
You do not necessarily have to recreate your artwork in Adobe software for us to help. We can work with suitable files created using Canva, Scribus, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word, and other software platforms. Depending on the original file and the changes needed, we may be able to make adjustments directly or use your supplied artwork as the starting point for preparing a print-ready file.
This can be especially helpful if you have already spent time creating a design but are unsure whether it meets commercial printing requirements. Our goal is to make the best use of your existing artwork whenever possible while preparing the final file for printing.
If you use Microsoft Publisher, see our Microsoft Publisher Files: Printing & End-of-Life Information page for information about existing Publisher files and available options.
Design Your Own Printing Projects
If you enjoy creating your own artwork, a range of design applications can help you prepare business cards, flyers, brochures, postcards, newsletters, menus, signs, invitations, and many other printed products. Popular options include:
- Adobe Express — An easy-to-use design application for creating graphics, business promotions, and other visual content with templates and editing tools.
- Adobe InDesign — Professional page-layout software for multi-page documents and complex layouts.
- Adobe Photoshop — Useful for editing photographs and raster-based graphics.
- Adobe Illustrator — Useful for logos, illustrations, and scalable vector artwork.
- Microsoft Word — Can be used for many simple documents and printing projects.
- Microsoft Publisher — A desktop-publishing application historically used for brochures, flyers, newsletters, and other printed materials. See our Publisher information page for current guidance.
- Scribus — Free, open-source desktop-publishing software with page-layout features.
The most important consideration is not simply which software you use, but whether the finished artwork is correctly prepared and exported in a format suitable for commercial printing. For additional software options, see our Free DIY Graphic Design Software for Printing guide.
Preparing a Print-Ready PDF
Whenever possible, we recommend submitting finished artwork as a PDF file. However, saving a document as a PDF does not automatically make it print-ready. File setup and color handling can affect the final result. A CMYK workflow is often appropriate for commercial printing, while RGB artwork may be converted during production and can experience color shifts, particularly with colors outside the CMYK gamut.
Depending on the product, a properly prepared file may need to include:
- Correct finished document size and page orientation
- Appropriate margins and safe areas
- Bleed when artwork extends to the edge of the finished piece
- Sufficient image resolution
- Appropriate color settings
- Properly handled fonts
- Correctly placed graphics and images
- Folding guides or other product-specific layout details when applicable
Requirements vary by product, so always check the file specifications on the individual product page before preparing your artwork. Our File Preparation for Commercial Printing guide provides more information about preparing files for production.
Print Design, Layout & Document Setup
Correct document setup is an important part of creating professional, print-ready artwork. Dimensions, orientation, bleed, safe areas, folding, color, and other production considerations can affect the finished piece.
Visit our Print Design, Layout & Document Setup guide for additional information to help you prepare your document before you begin designing.
Printing Templates
Many product pages include finished-size specifications and artwork requirements. We also provide PDF layout templates for selected products to help you set up your artwork correctly.
Depending on the product, a template may identify the finished size, margins, safe areas, bleed, folding guides, or other important layout details. If you need a template for a particular product, contact us and we can provide the appropriate template when one is available.
Need Artwork? We Can Help.
If you have an idea for a business card, flyer, brochure, postcard, newsletter, menu, advertisement, or another printed product but do not have finished artwork, contact us about our personalized graphic design services. You can provide your ideas, text, photographs, logos, examples, existing artwork, or other information about what you want your finished piece to look like.
We can help determine the right approach for the design, develop or refine the copy, improve existing artwork, and prepare the final file for commercial printing. Graphic design and copywriting fees are separate from printing prices and depend on the work required for your project.
Experienced Design for Better Printing Results
Professional graphic design involves more than making something look attractive. It requires an understanding of layout, typography, images, color, communication, marketing, and the technical requirements of commercial printing. Our experience in graphic design, marketing, advertising, and printing helps us consider how the design, written message, images, and finished product should work together.
Whether you are creating your own artwork, have a design that needs preparation, or need a professional design developed from your ideas, Discount Printing Service can help with personalized graphic design, copywriting and content development, artwork refinement, and print file preparation for an additional fee as appropriate.
From your ideas to a professionally prepared printed piece, we can help bring your project together.
Ready to Print?
Find the product you want in our online store to review its specifications, pricing, and ordering options. When artwork upload is available, you can upload your completed PDF through the product page and attach it to your order.
If you are unsure whether your artwork is ready for printing, contact Discount Printing Service before placing your order. We can help you determine what may be needed to prepare your file for production. If you need professional artwork created, contact us to discuss our graphic design and copywriting services.